Nothing blunt about Amy Adams

“Sharp Objects”, a new series starring Amy Adams, makes it debut at the same time as the US this Monday (July 9), showing exclusively on HBO at 8am.

The story centres on reporter Camille Preaker (Adams) who returns to her small hometown to cover the murder of one preteen girl and the abduction of another. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.

Based on Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel of the same name, the eight-episode series is the work of Marti Noxon and directed by Jean-Marc Vallee from scripts by Noxon and Flynn.

“Sharp Objects” was filmed in Los Angeles and Northern California, and in and around Atlanta.

“‘Sharp Objects’ is my first child, my first novel,” says author Flynn. “I wrote it nights and weekends and holidays with no real belief it would ever be published, because I felt like I had to bring this girl to life, so it holds a sacred place with me. It’s a strange and thrilling thing, bringing text to screen, allowing it to become a new thing while honoring readers’ interpretations too – it’s fun and a bit scary.

“This was my first novel, yet the last to reach screen – 12 long and often disappointing years. But then Amy came along, and I thought, ‘Oh, that was it! Camille was waiting for Amy to play her.’ And that’s not lofty, writer talk. I really believe Camille needed Amy,” she adds.

“It’s curious how we can find beauty in places we wouldn’t expect. How darkness sometimes can become attractive, comforting. This is what happened to me when I read Gillian’s novel. I got sucked into Camille’s head. I was falling for this character. Never met, never seen, nor heard anyone like this before,” says Vallee.

Creator Marti Noxon adds: “When I first read this book, I remember thinking to myself, ‘I have to meet Gillian Flynn – she’s really screwed up like I am’. This is a story that speaks to a part of women’s lives that we rarely address: our impulse to hurt ourselves and each other. And I feel like Camille is representative of so many women who have continually suppressed the damage that has been done to them throughout their lives, and how in an effort to avoid dealing with the root of our issues we inflict pain onto ourselves, in various forms.

“It’s something I could personally relate to, and to see this character who is deeply flawed, but still incredibly brave in her search for the truth, was part of why this story stayed with me for so long after reading it – and it was that lingering hold that made me want to adapt it into a series.”

New episodes premiere every Monday at the same time and repeat on the same day at 9pm on HBO.

Catch up on past episodes anytime on HBO GO via AIS Play and AIS PlayBox.